Medicinal tablet dispenser



Aug. 24, 1954 G. C. SPARKS MEDICINAL TABLET DISPENSER Filed May 8, 1950 A TTORNEY Patented Aug. 24, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MEDICINAL TABLET DISPENSER George C. Sparks, Chadds Ford, Pa. Application May 8, 1950, Serial No. 160,790

My invention relates to a new and useful medicinal tablet dispenser and has for one of its objects to produce a package for holding tablets, lozenges and the like, from which such articles may be individually dispensed as desired.

While I have particularly referred to its especial use in connection with medicinal tablets the device may be employed in connection with confections of various kinds as well as other articles of commerce, such as buttons, for example, and therefore wherever tablet is mentioned such term is to include any item that can be contained in the package and which will freely drop from an open chamber or cavity.

Another object of the invention is to produce a dispensing package for tablets, pills and the like consisting of a pair of imposed apertured panels providing a body with tabletholding recesses, cavities or chambers, and sheets imposed on the exterior surfaces of said panels, one of said sheets closing the chambers at one end and the other sheet carrying bendable or deflectable fingers partially closing said chambers at the opposite end.

Another object of the present invention is to produce a dispensing package of the character mentioned comprising a pair of apertured panels of relatively stiff material, such as paperboard, hinged together along an edge thereof and folded so that one is imposed upon the other with the apertures substantially concentric and constituting a body with tablet holding cavities or cham bers, the ends of the chambers at one side of the body. being closed, and bendable or deflectable fingers for partially and temporarily closing the ends of the chambers at the opposite side of the body.

Another object of this invention is to produce a dispensing package of the kind set forth consisting of two panels, one superimposed upon the other, each panel having a plurality of apertures similarly positioned, the apertures of one panel being larger than those of the other to insure register of both sets of apertures even though they are not absolutely concentric, means to close the outer ends of the smaller apertures and bendable or flexible fingers normally diametrically disposed across the outer ends of the larger apertures withthe tips of said fingers terminating short of a part of the circumference to provide a space for insertion of a fingernail or some instrument.

A further object of the present invention is to utilize a novel method for producing a dispensing package of the character mentioned which 1 Claim. (Cl. 206-42) method consists of forming two sets of apertures in two spaced areas of a sheet of paperboard, the

ioned to produce fingers, then pasting the sheet of paper on a face of the sheet of paperboard with the individual fingers overlying separate ones of the larger apertures and an imperforate area of said paper sheet disposed over the set of smaller apertures, then severing the paper sheet and partially severing the paperboard sheet from the paper covered face towards the opposite face midway between two border edges, forming two panels and leaving a thin portion of the paperboard to function as a hinge, and finally folding the panels and pasting them together with the separated parts of the paper sheets outside on opposite faces of the finshed article and one set of apertures registering with the other set to form tablet holding chambers.

A still further object of the invention is to produce a dispensing package con isting of hinged leaves having registering apertures to form a chamber closed at one end by a material sheet and partially closed at the opposite end by a bendable finger.

With the above and other objects in view this invention consists of the details of construction and combination of elements hereinafter set forth and then designated by the claim.

In order that those skilled in the art to which this invention appertains may understand how to make and use the same I will describe its construction in detail referring by numerals to the accompanying drawing forming a part hereof, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a dispensing package constructed in accordance with :my invention showing it partially inserted in a telescoping cover or envelope.

Fig. 2 is a face view of the apertured and partially severed paperboard.

Fig. 3 is an edge view thereof.

Fig. 4 is an obverse face View of the dispensing package.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional 7 view on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1.

In carrying out the invention as herein embodied 6 and 1, represent two similar panels of rather thick and stiff paperboard, pasteboard, cardboard or other suitable material, one of which is imposed and pasted to the other to form a two-ply body. One panel, as 6, has one or more small apertures 8 and the other panel, as 1, has a similar number of large apertures 9. The aperture or apertures in both panels are in the same relative locations in their respective panels so that when the edges of said panels are flush the apertures will be in register although they may not be absolutely concentric and these form tablet holding chambers. By making the apertures in one panel larger than the other they will register although they may be slightly staggered or out of line with one another when the edges of both panels are substantially flush.

Preferably the panels are made as a unit joined together along one edge of each by a hinge. This may be accomplished by making a slit Ill at the middle of the sheet of paperboard, shown in Figs. 2 and 3, projecting only part way through the sheet to define the panels 6 and I and leave a thin portion of the paperboard sheet to function as a hinge l I. It is to be understood that the panels may be hinged along either a short or long side. In fact all sides may be of equal length. When the panels are folded at the hinge and pasted together the two-ply bodyis produced with tablet holding chambers.

The outer face of the panel constitutes the reverse face of the body while the outer face of the panel 7 becomes the obverse face of said body. On the reverse face of the body is pasted an imperforate leaf 12 of paper or other appropriate material which closes the bottom ends of the chambers While on'the obverse face of said body is pasted a leaf [3 of paper or other suitable material.

The leaf 13 has an opening it commensurate in size to the area occupied by the larger apertures or the outlet ends of the chambers and said opening is so fashioned or shaped that a finger I5 is provided for each chamber, projecting diametrically across the outlet end of each chamber from one side or edge of the opening 14 to a position adjacent but short of the opposite edge.

By preference, the apertures 8 and 9 are arranged in separate sets, one group in each panel,

and desirably each set is disposed in two rows, as plainly shown in Fig. 2. Therefore, the opening 14 is equal in area to the greatest area occupied by the larger apertures 9 or the outlet ends of the chambers and the fingers 15 project from opposite sides or edges of said opening M diametrically across the respective outlet ends of the chambers from one side of the latter with the tips of said fingers terminating short of the opposite edges of the apertures 9 or outlet ends of the several chambers to partially close said outlet ends. By terminating the finger tips short of parts of the boundary edges of the outlet ends of the chambers or larger apertures 9, spaces are provided for the insertion of a persons finger nail or a suitable instrument to selectively bend the fingers I5 out and thereby predeterminedly open the outlet ends of the chambers to permit removal of the chamber contents.

In actual practice, the leaves [2 and i3 may be a single sheet of paper with the opening i4 and fingers i5 preformed and said paper sheet, pasted onto one face of the paperboard sheet, with the fingers l5 overlying the larger apertures 9. The pasting is accomplished prior to the formation of the hinge H. With the preformed paper sheet and the preformed sheet of paperboard pasted together the slit I0 is made by cutting completely through the paper sheet and partially through the sheet of paperboard so the paper leaves will be on the face of the sheet of paperboard opposite the location of the resulting hinge I 1. Next the panels 6 and T, with the leaves of paper thereon, are folded at the hinge and pasted together to form the body with the paper leaves on opposite outside faces thereof.

To carry out the method of forming the package and packaging the goods, the sheet of paperboard is preformed to shape and perforated. Next the paper sheet is preformed to shape with the opening therein and pasted onto the sheet of paperboard so that the smaller apertures are closed at one end and the fingers are disposed across the larger apertures to partially close them at one end. Then the paper sheet is completely severed and the sheet of paperboard partially severed at the middle from the papered face towards the opposite face to separate the sheet of paper into two leaves and form two panels from the paperboard sheet, which panels are joined by the uncut portion constituting a hinge. The articles to be held in the package are then inserted in the smaller apertures so as to rest on the paper sheet closure and then, finally, the panels are folded on the hinge and said panels pasted together. The articles are now temporarily securely retained in the package but when a person desires to remove an article, the finger, which partially closes the outlet end of the charm ber containing said article, is bent outwardly, or even torn away, to completely open the outlet end of the chamber. After the chamber is opened the device is inverted and the article will drop out since all other chambers containing articles are still blocked by their respective fingers the other articles will not be displaced.

As the outlet ends of the chambers are only partially closed by the bendable fingers it has been found. desirable to place the dispensing package in a tubular sliding cover or envelope 16, Fig. 1, which may be open at one or both ends and may have a cut-out or notch i? at one end for the insertion of a persons finger to grip the dispensing package for withdrawal there of from the cover.

Of course I do not Wish to be limited to the exact details of construction herein shown and described as these may be varied within the scope of the appended claim without departing from the spirit of the invention,

Having described my invention what I claim as new and useful is:

A dispensing package comprising of two-ply body composed of articulated relativeiy thick panels pasted together in superimposed relation, said panels each having through and through apertures with those in one panel in registration with those in the other and companion panel to form chambers to hold medicinal tablets, the apertures in one panel being larger than the apertures in the other panel to insure register of the two sets of apertures when the edges of the panels are flush even though there are some slight discrepancies in the positions of the apertures relative to the edges of their respective panels, a sheet of relatively thin material pasted on one face of the body to permanently close ends of the chambers, a second sheet of rela tively thin material pasted on the other face of the body, said second sheet having a central opening commensurate in size to the area occupied by the chambers with all of the apertured chambers lying within the periphery of said central opening, and integral fingers projecting inwardly from the periphery of said central opening, each finger overlying one of the chambers to cover the opposite end thereof, said fingers being bendable outwardly to selectively individually open the ends of said chambers which are normally closed by the fingers.

Name Date Stephens Dec. 15, 1868 Number Number Name Date Peterson et a1. July 4, 1939 Ritter Aug. 25, 1942 Van Rosen Aug. 31, 1948 Weber et a1 Feb. 19, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date France June 16, 1906 Italy Jan. 28, 1935 

